Hitch



April 10, 1951 N TWEEDY 2,548,637

HITCH Filed Nov. 30, 1948 J .215 Twead y INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 10, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT oF-FioE HITCH 7 John Nathaniel Tweedy, Worden, 111.

Application November 30, 1948, Serial No. 62,721

This invention relates to a hitch or car coupling, the invention having particular reference to hitching or coupling devices whereb mine cars, conveyor units, and other receptacles can be detachably coupled in line.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved type" of coupling, whereby automatic coupling of adjacent cars may be permitted with ease, and whereby said cars may be uncoupled with similar'ease. I

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear asthe description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations ofparts, hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a hitch constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section therethrough.

Figure 3 is a transverse section on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective View of a latch member embodied in the invention.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a latch member cooperating with the latch member of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the reference numeral 5 designates a fiat plate having formed therein the openings 6, whereby said plate can be secured to the underside of a mine car or the like.

Disposed under the plate, and rigid therewith,

1 Claim. (Cl. 213-179) is the tubular casin i, open at it rear end but so that the coupling bar is yieldably urged to the left in Fig. 2 at all times. The adjustment of the spring is provided for by threading of the bar It), whereby the nut i2 can be backed off or advanced as necessarly for the purpose of adjusting the tension of the spring.

The projecting portion of the bar is provided with a collar [3 that engages the front end plate 8, and extending from said collar 13, and also rigid with the bar I U is the flat tongue i4, having an opening at its front end through which passes the vertically disposed bolt l5. Bolt I5 is mounted in an arcuate housing i6, and the parts are held assembledby the nut 11. A spring. surrounds the bolt 15, and presses downwardly upon the tongue By reason of this construction, it may be noted that longitudinal expansion 'of thec'ouplin'g of one car is permitted, by Withdrawing. of thebar l0 relative to the casing in which it'is normally contained; said withdrawal of 'the'barsln being permitted ,by the spring I I, that-is adapted to yield'underpr'essure tothe right in Fig; 2. Additionally, the construction includes, in the portion of the couplingcarriedbyeach of two carsjvertical play, which-is desirablenwhere the trackage on which the cars ride rises and falls.

This vertical play is permitted by movement of the tongue 14 upor down upon the bolt l5, this i being permitted by the spring carried by said bolt.

Integral with the housing I6 is the latch member l8, having formed therein intermediate its ends the opening l 9 Forwardly, the latch member 88 tapers to provide the latchbar 20, merging at its front end into the cross bar 2|.

Fork arms 22 are adapted to engage behind the cross bar 2|, as best seen from Fig. 2, these fork arms extending downwardly into a bell shaped open ended latch housing 23, having formed in its underside the opening 24 permitting clearance for the fork arms 22.

The fork arms 22 are rigid with the arm 25, having formed intermediate its ends the opening 26 through which extends the pivot member 21, that is supported by the cars 28 rigid with and extended upwardly from the upper surface of the latch housing 23.

Ears 28 have the forward extensions 29 spaced apart to permit the arm 25 to move therebetween.

Pivotally mounted in the forward ends of the forward extensions 29 is the keeper 30,"adapted to be swung into a notch 3| formed in the front end of the arm 25.

Arm 25 can also be provided with the transversely extended handle 32 for manual operation.

The inner end of the housing 23 carries the vertically disposed bolt 33, that passes through opening formed in the free end of tongue 34, spring 35 surrounding the bolt for the purpose of yieldably holding the tongue 34 in the lower position illustrated in Fig. 2. Tongue 34 is rigid with a bar slidably mounted in the housing 36 carried on the under side of the plate 31, said plate 31 being adapted to be secured to another mine car or the like. The construction at this end of the device, as will be understood, is the same as the construction at the opposite end of the coupling.

The operation of the coupling may now be noted. Assuming that a pair of adjacent mine cars are uncoupled, and are to be coupled, one mine car is moved toward the other. Keeper 30 will be swung previously out of engagement with the latch arm 25, so as to permit free swinging of said latch arm and the forks integral therewith.

In any event, the cross bar 2! will engage the fork arms 22, swinging them to the right in Fig. 2, so that the cross bar moves past said fork arms 22. As soon as the cross bar clears the fork arms, the arm 25 will drop to the position illustrated in Fig. 2, because said.- arm overloalances the fork arms 22.

As a result, the device is effectively coupled, and will remain coupled during normal operation. Keeper 30 can be used to lock the latch member against accidental separation, as desired.

When it is desired to uncouple the adjacent cars, the latch arm 25 is raised by means of the handle 32 so as to elevate the fork arms 22 above the latch bar 20, thus to clear the cross bar 2i. The cars can now be readily uncoupled.

What is claimed is:

In a coupling device a pivotal connection car'- ried by one car to be coupled; a 'T-shaped latch member mounted 'on said cormectionfor pivotal movement in a horizontal plane only and. for upand-down sliding movement; a pivotal connection carried by another car to be coupled; a flared 4 housing mounted on said second-named pivotal connection for pivotal movement in a horizontal plane only, said housing having up-and-down sliding movement on its connection; an overbalanced fork pivotally mounted upon the upper wall of the housing and overbalanced upon its mounting in a manner whereby the arms of said fork normally extend downwardly to fill the space between the upper and lower walls of the housing, the lower wall of the housing having an opening through which the lower ends of the fork arms extend, said T-shaped latch member adapted to extend into the housing and interengage behind the fork arms; and the upper and lower walls of the housing being spaced apart a substantial distance to permit free up-and-down movementof the T-shaped latch member within the housing.

JOHN NETHANIEL TWEEDY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 444,493 Jacobs Jan. 13, 1891 536,894 Renne Apr, 2, 1895 1,370,929 Ternes et a1. Mar. 8, 1921 1,429,186 Brown Sept. 12, 1922 1,559,397 Abshear Oct. 2'7, 1925 1,750,314 Forchheimer Mar. 11, 1930 2,096,644 Montgomery etal. Oct. 19, 193'! 

